Signors of one-third to albert l



(No Model.) A. A. DITTMAR. & H. FALKENHAUSEN. ELEGTRIG AIR PUMP.

No. 457,762. Patented Aug. 11, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.A

ALLEN A. DITTMAR ANDTIUGO FALKENHAUSEN, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.,AS SIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO ALBERT L. REINMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC) AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,762, dated August 11, 1891.

Application iiled January 23, 1891. Serial No. 378,782. No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, ALLEN A. DITTMAR and HUGO FALKENHAUSEN, citizens of the United States, and residents of New York, in

the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric|Air-Pumps,of which the following is a specication.

Our invention has reference to improvements in air-pumps; and the invention consists of an electric air-pump in which the suction and discharge valves are worked by electricity. This object is attained by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical section of an air-pump in accordance with our invention, with a plan showing the connection of the air-pump with an electric generator.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Ain the drawing is a chamber or casing, and B B are the pump-cylinders, which are perpendicularly mounted upon the chamber by means of flanges b b', screwed or otherwise secured on the upper part of the said chamber. The upper part or top plate of the said chamber A has openings which communicate with the lower openings of the cylinders.

Through the chamber A passes a crankshaft C, one end of which is fitted to the inner side of one wall of the chamber by means of a bearing, while the other end passes out through the opposite wall of the same with bearing and stuffing-box. The crank-shaft has two cranks c c', opposite each other, and each crank arranged directly below the center of one of the pump-cylinders B B. The pistons F F', within-the said pump-cylinders, are operated 'by means of the connecting-rods D D', which are connected with the cranks of the crank-shaft, and the pins ff of the pistons. The upper ends of the pump-cylinders are closed by the casings G and G', the outwardly-extendingilanges of the bottom plates of which are screwed or riveted to the outwardly-extending flanges at the upper ends of the cylinders. The bottom plates of the casings G G are provided with valve-openings g, g', g2, and g3, conical in shape, the openings g and g3 tapering upward and the openings g and g2 tapering in a downward direction.

y The casing G, as well as the casing G', is divided into two compartments H H. The suction-pipes h 71 to which the vessels to be evacuated are connected, enter the compartments H, and the discharge-pipes 7i h lead from the compartments H to the trap-cylinder J. The latter is mounted on the top plate of the base-chamber A and communicates4 with the interior of the same. The upper part of the trap-cylinder is provided with airholes j and covered by a dome I.

K, K', K2, and K3 are solenoids placed upon the top plate of the chambers G and G', the bores of the same comm unicatingwith the interior of the compartments H H and H H. The movable cores k la' k2 7c3 within the solenoids serve as valve-stems, and are provided at their lower ends with conicallyshaped valve-pistons, which fit into the respective valve-openings g g' g2 g3 in the bottom plates of the chambers G G'.

To the top portions of the solenoids K2 and K' longitudinal guide-casings z' z" are Secured, in which the cores k2 and k' are suspended by means of spiral springs t2 and i5.

The pistons of the valve-stems or cores are provided with suitable packing-rings, so as to form an air-tight closingof the valve-openings. The cores are made of soft iron, but the lower portions of the same consist of brass, so that these portions may not be magnetized by the electric current and not affec the iron parts of the pump.

L is an electric commutator, made of hard rubber or any other non-conducting material, in the shape of a disk, which is mounted on the crank-shaft and receives by the same its rotary motion. Semi-annular conductingrings Zand Z are secured to the commmutator-disk, the ring l being somewhat smaller o, which presses alternately upon the ringsections Z and Z when the commutator-disk is in rotary motion. The ring-sections Z and Z are so arranged that both sections receive the electric current simultaneously by the brush o. The standard M is, furthermore, provided with one pair of stationary conductingbrushes m and m and with one pair of like brushes n and n', the brushes m and n coming alternately in contact with the ring-section Z and the brushes m and n in contact with the ring-section Z when the pump is in motion. The electric current is conducted from an electric generator N through the spring-acting brush o to the commutator and through the ring-sections Zand Z and the conducting-brushes m m and n n', respectively, to the solenoids, the electric current being closed by wires leading from the solenoids back to the electric generator, as clearly shown in the plan attached to the drawing.

The chamber A, the cylinders B B', and the trap-cylinder J are filled with oil, as usual in air-pumps. The crank-shaft may be rotated by hand or power, as desired.

In the illustration shown in Fig. 1 the piston F is in a position about to close the valve g2 of the compartment H of the casing Gr, the air being forced through the said valve and the discharge-pipe h into the trap-cylinder J, from where the air escapes through the airopenings j. The valve-stem or core kis about to drop from the suction-valve g in the compartment H of the casing G with the downstroke of the piston F, whereby the suction- `compartment H of the casing G is opened.

The stop-pin CZ prevents the core k from dropping too far down. Of course the valve g2 will be closed before the valve gis opened. The piston F is in a position about to complete its stroke, and the valves g q3 are in a position reversed to the valves g g2.

The opening and closing of the valves is performed by electricity, and the electricity operates when the pump is in motion :in the following manner: The brush o presses againstthe ring-section Z and transfers the positive current from the electric generator N to the ring-sections, and from there by means of the conducting-brushes m m to the solenoids K K2. The current is closed by the wires leading from the said solenoidsto the negative pole of the electric generator. The coresZc k2 of the solenoids K K2 are thus magnetized and up, whereby the valve g is opened and the valve g3 closed, while the valve g will be opened and the valve g2 closed, as by the broken current in the solenoids K K2 the cores Zo k2 become demagnetized and dropi'. e., they assume the position of the cores Zt 7c3 shown in the drawing. In this manner the opening or closing of the respective valves is performed simultaneously with the alternating up and down strokes of the pistons in the pump-cylinders.

The process of the evacuation of vessels, dac., is the same as in other mechanical air pumps, and therefore not illustrated in the drawing.

Our improved air-pump is very simple, and has the advantage that any complicated mechanism for opening or closing the suction and discharge valves is entirely dispensed with by the same.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an electric air-pump, suction and discharge compartments communicating with the pu nip-cylinders by valve-openings, in combination with solenoids placed over openings in the top plates of the compartments and having movable cores which pass through the openings in the said top plates and act as valve-stems, so as to open and close the respective valve-openings by electric currents conducted alternately through the respective solenoids, substantially as set forth.

2. ln an electric air-pump, the combination of the top plates of the suction and discharge compartments, which have openings for the valve-stems with the movable solenoids, cores passing through said openings of the top plates and acting as valve-stems for the valveopenings, by which the said compartments communicate with the pump-cylinders, substantially as set forth.

3. ln an electric air-pump, suction and discharge compartments communicating with the pump-cylinders by valve-openings, in combination with solenoids placed over openings in the top plates of the compartments and having movable cores which pass through the openings in the said top plates, and an electric commutator connected with the solenoids, by which commutator electric currents are conducted alternately through the respective solenoids and the cores magnetized, so as to open and close the respective valve-openings in the pump-cylinders, substantially as set forth.

et. In an electric air-pump, suction and discharge compartments communicating with the pump-cylinders byvalve-openings, in combination with solenoids placed over openings in the top plates of the compartments and having movable cores, and the piston crankshaft bearing an electric commutator which is electrically connected with the solenoids,

Valve-0p eni ugs sim ultaneously with the stroke of the pump-pistons, substantially as shown and described.

Signed at New York, in the County of New York and State of N ew York, this 17 th day of January, A. D. 1891.`

ALLEN A. DITTMAR. HUG() FALKENHAUSENa fitnessesz Y ALBERT L. REINMANN,

THOMAS CONRAD. 

